Overview
- The Raksha Bandhan commercial featuring Kriti Sanon, which showed her in a bralette-style blouse and tying a rakhi to a dog, drew heavy criticism online for offending cultural sentiments and for its styling choices.
- GIVA announced on August 26 that it had withdrawn the advertisement “out of respect,” and the founder later said the immediate reason was escalating incidents around some stores that threatened the safety of on-ground teams.
- The company insists it still supports the campaign’s intent of broadening family celebration to include pets and that the creative was produced in collaboration with Sanon.
- Kriti Sanon defended the ad and questioned why women are judged by their clothes, while several public figures including Kangana Ranaut and Urvashi Rautela publicly criticized the creative for insufficient cultural sensitivity.
- The film continues to circulate on other social platforms despite removal from GIVA’s official channels and the episode underscores a pattern in India where festival-themed ads trigger rapid social-media backlash and force brands to weigh creative choices against staff safety and reputational risk.